Gilbert Mirambeau: "Art in its raw form can't be handled by the human brain"

Photo provided by Gilbert Mirambeau

Writing is second nature to Gilbert Mirambeau. In fact, he spends most of his free time writing. He enjoys going to the movies, hanging out with his friends and cooking a good vegetarian meal, but at this point in his life, his mind is very focused. 

He plans to become one of the contemporary writers that is studied, and with the dedication he has, he is one step away from actualizing this dream.

Everything related to culture interests him and strengthens his exclusive mentality. 

Born and raised in Haiti, writing gradually became a part of Gilbert's life in high school until it became a compulsive need to vomit a divine thing (as he describes it) on paper.
It all started with him being excruciatingly bored and probably annoyed at the French literature that he was forced to read and memorize while at St. Louis de Gonzague in Haiti. As a way to rebel against this educational system, he started writing poems.
For the longest time, it was just a habit until he discovered The Battle of the Titans and fell in love with Greek mythology.
The way that the characters were contrived definitely got his attention. It inspired him to write, create astonishing characters and take on other literature genres aside from poetry.
He only started writing professionally 3 years ago. Although not specified, something happened. He attended several workshops and became even more dedicated to writing.
Although he is an avid reader, Gilbert tries to not be influenced by other writers and create his own masterpiece.
"I want to sketch my own path," he explained. He defines his writing not as a gift but rather as a message that he is compelled to share with his readers. He attests that a divine thing comes to him in the form of an image and he projects that image in his writing.
He decodes that picture and brilliantly pulls the senses of his readers towards every last bit of details that composes the whole picture. Because of that, his writing tends to be very graphic. The quote in the title of this blog post ("Art in its raw form can't be handled by the human brain") describes that powerful step that he goes through before editing and polishing his works.
However, behind the sweat, the bashing and the smell of his words lay a simple yet unique man with a systematic plan to impact his society. He admitted that he has always been an outcast with a constant need to pick apart society as a whole and isolate himself from shallow attitudes that cripple our mentality. Hence, his writing is his weapon against all entities that are destroying our daily life. His piece, Les Miens, deals with this issue of self vs. society.
Moreover, as an activist, he needed an extensive medium to pass along his message. This quest guided him towards playwriting.
"When you assist a play, it is more in your face," he said. "The actor is living the character for an hour and a half in your face. It is so believable that you grasp everything- the emotions, the tears and even the breath."
He once hired a cast and crew and presented a play in Montreal with family members, friends and professional actors in attendance. It was a way for him to test the market, and he received many positive criticisms for his play.
Writing takes more than just the willingness to write, and Gilbert understands that. Now, he is in the process of moving back to Haiti to present his play. This will also help him reconnect with the people of Haiti (outside of Port-au-Prince) and draw inspiration.
Eventually, he will travel the world, especially Europe where the theatrical culture is at his highest, and tour his plays.
He has four major projects that he is working on. The first one, My Last Orgasm, depicts a mentally challenged, old woman looking for herself; the second one addresses the issue of skin color and loveless marriages; the third one, 4 H 53, is related to the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and his last project centers around the life of a restavek in an urban family.
To know more about Gilbert, please visit his blog. Do not forget to translate the page in English if you do not speak French nor Creole.

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Planet

Photo provided by Dr. Shellie Hipsky

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Planet is Dr. Shellie Hipsky's latest book, which focuses on a dozen of interviews with people who have overcome challenges in their life and are able to inspire others through those challenges.
Hipsky began writing this book while promoting her fourth book, Mentoring Magic, with her cowriter, Dr. Claudia Bavaro. She was at the Ray Leonard's radio show, which is broadcasted in 75 countries and is also named "Ordinary People, Extraordinary Planet." Leonard introduced her to Clarel Radicella, the woman who inspired Hipsky to write this book.
"I was supposed to talk with Clarel about marketing my book," said Hipsky. "As we began to talk, her life story fascinated me, and I started writing her story."

Photo provided by Dr. Shellie Hipsky

Racidella was a mother of three who was diagnosed with AVM and a brain aneurysm, and founded mindyourbiz.org. She had helped a lot of people and in her own way made a great impact on her surrounding before passing away from cancer in July of 2011. She is survived by her three children, and Hipsky had a chance to write her story, which keeps her legacy alive.
"I think people will be uplifted," said Hipsky about what the readers would think of this book. 25 percent of the revenue of this book goes to the charities featured in the book and the Homeless Children's Education Fund, an initiative dear to Hipsky's heart, which she has raised over $35, 000 to support.
In her own way, Hipsky is a living, breathing image of her own book. Because of the academic challenges she faced in high school, she realized that there needed to be a different way of teaching, and decided to dedicate her life to teaching others about this new way.
Her three previous books, Arts Alive! Textbook, The Drama Discovery Curriculum and Differentiated Literacy and Language Arts Strategies for the Elementary Classroom focus on the goal of educating and how to teach using creativity and meeting the needs of the students.
"Every child has a gift to give to the world, and teaching can help with that," explained Hipsky. Her mission to globally entertain, educate and inspire sums up this goal.
Aside from writing books and articles (approximately 100), Hipsky also teaches at Robert Morris University. She does multiple public speaking, such as at  Pepperdine University and the University of Oxford in England. With her foundation as an Associate Professor of Education, Dr. Shellie Hipsky is a co-owner of a wonderful (soon to be launched) e-story book company for young children, Learning Mountain.
Most Importantly, Hipsky will soon be hosting a talk show, "Inspiring Lives with Dr. Shellie Hipsky." One of her first guests will be Alicia Kozakiewicz, a woman who was abducted at 13 years old after chatting with a stranger on Yahoo chat room. Kozakiewicz is now working at Carnegie Mellon University and teaching teenagers around the country about internet safety. 
To learn more about Hipsky's inspirational life and work, please visit her website at http://www.shelliehipsky.com/ and her Amazon author page at http://www.amazon.com/Shellie-Hipsky/e/B002P8TLY6/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Cost Combat "Retail Boot Camp" Class"

On Thursday January 19th, 2012, Evan Wright will be leading a free seminar at the Sewickley public library to teach about the basics of retail spending and saving. Please attend it if you are in the Pittsburgh area because this class could be very helpful to you.
"What I want to do is give an overview of the whole process," said Wright. "I'm thinking on doing other classes focusing on different sections of the book."
Please click here to know more about the seminar.